Scientists slam industry over 'efficient coal' claims

A group of scientists at the UN Climate Conference in Poland have accused the coal industry of misleading the public by talking about 'high efficiency coal'.

And they say no new coal-fired power stations should be built unless they're fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

CCS is the process of removing CO2 emissions from power plants and other industrial processes and burying them underground.

The 27 climate scientists released a statement in the Polish capital Warsaw where the World Coal Association has been holding its own conference called the International Coal and Climate Summit.

Dr Bert Metz, of the European Climate Foundation, says without using CCS, carbon emissions from coal are just too high.

"For instance, when you look at coal and compare that to natural gas, the carbon emissions from coal are roughly twice as high.

"If we compare it with renewable energy like wind, solar, hydro and geothermal, coal is 15 times higher in CO2 emissions per unit of electricity."

Dr Metz says the group isn't advocating the end of the coal industry, but if coal continues to burn unabated, that is without any emissions reduction technology, we won't be able to stay below the extra two degrees Celsius limit that's needed to avert catastrophic climate change.

The scientists say that there is 2,000 gigatons of CO2 that could potentially be released from known coal reserves.

That's double the 1,000 gigatons of CO2 which has been called the the 'global carbon budget' that shouldn't be breached.

In addition to that, there are oil and gas reserves which will account for more than 1,600 gigatons.